contrarian on the big game

is this really what matters?

Today I offer a contrarian’s commentary as much as a column, one bound to irritate some. I think through the never-ending college football bowl season I heard more about people “entering the transfer portal” than I heard commentary on the ins and outs of various NCAA televised games (we abandoned Navy football season tickets when they fired their winningest coach because he had a less than great year. Excuse me, do the service academies produce national champions in football or military service?). This season I heard oodles about people not playing because they are going into the transfer portal but how about what they did on the field when they did play? Actual performance versus speculative bidding? Worst of all, a national college football championship match is set.

And I am profoundly disappointed by all of it.

Many of you know I attended Notre Dame. You might be surprised I was on the field wearing what we called “deelly boppers” (weird little tiara looking things that we somehow bought to look spirited) when the Irish played the first ever night game against Penn State. It was the only game they ever did not use harsh crowd control to keep us in the stands during my time there. I stood, as all Domers do, through every minute of every single game, no matter how frigid, hot, or uncomfortable (and in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus, all of those conditions occurred). I was, in other words, a hard core fan and have watched college football for almost 60 years.

But I am so disappointed the NCAA caved to go the route it’s on.

We have lost the bubble, people, if the focus is entirely on big programs, big games, big name players, and big aspirations alone, my condemnation of what we are doing with college sports. I realize that these programs are intricate dances between the official acts of a team under the auspices of an accredited institution of higher education and the various alumni groups associated with said institutions. It’s a free speech, free contribution, free bribery for transfer, and the like environment which is largely driven by alumni. Got it and not seeking to change that formally through legislation or something. But universities have a role in that so let’s not be disingenuous.

Put otherwise, have we lost our minds as sports fans? Offering Quinn Ewers $6 million to enter the NFL draft? Are you kidding me? That is what I believe I read, though that was in advance to Ohio State pulverizing Texas where the kid mentioned “attends”university—or did as of late week. But, that is theoretically the pros, assuming he gets drafted (high probability) and doesn’t get hurt in the mientras so he actually plays. He will get millions more if he actually signs. I completely understand this excitement for some lowly city hoping to resurrect their football franchise, even if I find the amount of money obscene. The free market drives these things.

But the idea that universities should even indirectly be part of this mass movement between schools on a perpetual basis strikes me as nuts. Just set up a semi-pro league instead of tying it to universities already saddled with so many complaints about the quality of education as to choke a horse.

The legal decision several years ago transformed college athletes into autonomous financial actors instead of university commodities in a system that exploited them was; the kids and their families and agents are benefitting mightily. Ka-Ching, ka-Ching ka-Ching. While I initially could not fathom superseding the old system much as any baseball purist still thinks the DH rule should never have occurred, I have come around the these kids having the right to profit off their skills (I’m not a completely immovable mind when presented with evidence on both sides. This does make more sense for everyone involved).

My concern is higher education’s role. Sure, Northern Illinois is bloody proud of themselves, particular if Notre Dame defeats Ohio State in the national championship final, that they provided the Domers their early season loss. That is great. But how and why will being able to say you beat one of the top two schools in the 2024 NCAA season increase the quality of learning that goes on in DeKalb?

Don’t universities have some role in education rather than providing entertainment, feeding the pipeline of professional athletes, and keeping alumni happy? Do all alumni really contribute sufficient money to the academic side of higher education so there is a quid pro quo of buying themselves a better NCAA team so they will keep the foreign language department afloat? I am unconvinced.

Please don’t misunderstand as I genuinely enjoy watching college sports. There was a a time (granted in a galaxy long departed) when my parents worried I was consumed by sports. But, the sporting events I watch today appear feats by people who are at institutions that can afford the absolute best technology for the players and provide incredible support networks out of touch with the world these bulk of the kids will inhabit for the rest of their lives (much less the world these rest of us live in). Sure, the next Tom Brady or LeBron James (there will never ever ever be another Michael Jordan so stop looking) is out there but the majority of people aren’t those guys or Caitlin Clark. Yet, university sports programs seem to treat the players as single-use instruments rather than gifted human who will ultimately be just like the rest of us rather than permanently in the spotlight. Trust me on that last part. We no longer seem to remember that sports may contribute billions, particularly in the gambling industry, but that isn’t necessarily the type of domestic production that advances things for all.

I am just a traditionalist, disappointed we have chosen to obsess about the “best” as if it really made a whit of difference. In a world where half the country made clear their concern to Make America Great Again, I wonder whether college sports, alumni, and media fixations with individual players (whether their decisions to move from school to school as if they were square dancing OR their exquisite skills instead of personal behavior or possible intellectual advancement) or university programs to prove who’s number one on any particular evening advance much except our preference for superficial measures of ephemeral success.

Of course it’s a compliment to Notre Dame or Ohio State to win the NCAA but it’s hardly as cosmic. I would be happier if we also recognized Ferris State winning Division 2 and North Central the victor in Division 3. But none of those teams are likely to create much more than a temporary appreciation on the Sports pages.

So, I am a curmudgeon who wishes we could celebrate the competition individuals have with themselves to improve. Can the team do better than last week when a fumble with 13 seconds left meant they could not culminate that last drive? Can the special teams come back from two blocked punts to move forward? Is the overall record better this year than three years ago? Competition for the sake of push one’s self to improve seems pretty worthy as well because most of life works that way.

And all of that without assigning some truly spectacular price tag to the whole thing, be it cost to field and execute the team over the season or revenue taken in from the games?

I admitted up front I expect few, if any of you, agree with me which is fine. But I say “cheer, cheer for old college football” regardless who is playing at what level. The old days were grand afternoons to appreciate effort. That was a pretty great period as a fan. My friend Norm, the keenest of the keen sports fans, left the rarified Washington sports scene for the Division III schools of Minnesota where he is thoroughly reviving the best of being a fan, regardless who is playing. That is the real deal.

Thank you for bearing with my thoughts this afternoon. I welcome any comments on them, including your preference for the big game next week. Tell me how you see NCAA sports these days as I am keen to hear.

I appreciate your time each day. I especially appreciate those of you who support this column as paid subscribers as your commitment helps me a great deal. It’s less than a dollar a week for an annual subscription. But I welcome you in any case.

Be well and be safe. FIN